In an educational/law enforcement
partnership with Modesto City School District, the City of Modesto Police
Department currently provides eight sworn police officers to the cityís five
public high schools, the continuation high school, the school districtís junior
high schools and, in partnership with the Stanislaus County Office of Education,
an officer for their P.A.C.E. high school (also for continuing education). The
program is in its ninth year of uninterrupted existence. All eight of these
officers are from the regular sworn forces of the Modesto Police Department,
selected for, and on special assignment to, these schools. They are the
"personalized" officers for their assigned campus or campuses. They report to
Police Department supervision but take input and general assignment from school
campus administration, teachers, and parents. Each officer drives a regular
patrol vehicle, has a cellular telephone, and his or her own office at the
school.

The purpose of the program is to
enforce state and local laws and school district policies on and around the
school campuses. The goal of the program is to create safe learning environments
for the children of the City of Modesto. School district officials correctly
believe that school campuses are microcosms of the city, as a whole. Law
enforcement issues and problems faced by the community at large will be existent
on school campuses. Taking steps to meet the issues and solve the problems at
the campus level has proven to be of great assistance to the city, as a whole.

2. When was the program created and
why?

The School Resource Officer Program was
initiated in February of 1990, with the assignment of two Modesto Police
Officers to handle law enforcement on the then, four public high school
campuses. Today, in 1998, there are eight such officers, providing personalized
police services to all five public high school campuses, their feeder junior
high schools, and the cityís two continuing educational facilities.

Two forces spurred the creation of this
most effective partnership. First, the Modesto Police Departmentís D.A.R.E.
program, initiated in 1987, had reaped benefits for the schools in the handling
of non-enforcement contacts with students, teachers, administration and parents.
The students had responded favorably to the positive role model of uniformed
police officers on their campuses teaching drug and gang resistance education.
Second, new California law had mandated the clear responsibility of individual
school districts to provide safe and secure campuses for students. This was new
ground for school districts, experts in education but not law enforcement. The
districts sought the assistance of the City of Modestoís Police
Department.

The Modesto City School District had
long utilized the Modesto Police Department for response to their "calls for
service." Based on that experience and the positive influence of D.A.R.E. (Drug
Abuse Resistence Education) police officers on elementary school campuses, the
Modesto City School District made the decision to provide "personalized" law
enforcement to junior high and high school campuses.

3. How do you measure the programís
effectiveness?

The School Resource Officers Program
has been very effective, judged solely by the fact that it has grown by 300
percent in eight years, from the original two officers to the current eight
officers. Further, it has produced a more expedient system of handling law
enforcement issues and problems on the junior high and high school campuses.
Police response to calls for service from the campuses has now nearly been
eliminated. Law enforcement problems are handled by the police officer assigned,
an officer specifically selected for the assignment because of his or her
ability to effectively deal with juvenile issues. These officers usually know
the students and also know school district policy and procedures, enabling them
to handle the problems much more quickly than a responding beat officer.
Further, these officers handle many problems at a non-enforcement level,
avoiding the necessity for arrests. They also serve as positive role models for
students.

During the 1997/98 school year, Modesto
Police School Police Officers handled 1,819 enforcement contacts, 4,254
non-enforcement contacts, issued 330 citations, handled 40 gang-related issues,
attended 288 meetings for the school district and made 542 arrests. Of these
arrests, 20 percent, or 108 arrests, were for drug-related offenses. Twenty-six
percent, or 142 of the arrests, were for weapons changes. Eighty arrests were
for fighting on campuses. Therefore, the majority of the arrests made furthered
the goal of creating safe learning environments.

4. How is the program
financed?

Financing the School Resource Officers
Program has also been a real partnership. Revenue for the officers is split,
50-50, between the City of Modesto General Fund and the Modesto City School
District and the Stanislaus County Office of Education, in the case of the
P.A.C.E. police officer.

5. How is the community involved in the
program, if at all? How has the community responded to the
program?

Community response to the School
Resource Officers Program has been positive and consistently supportive. The
members of the Modesto City School Board view the program as a "unique link"
with the City of Modesto, and the Modesto City Council views the program as a
vital component to community policing in the city.